In the February 2006 Speech from the Throne, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia announced the government's intention to designate the Kermode, or spirit bear, as British Columbia's official animal. A male Kermode bear can reach 225 kg (49… Kermode Bears have an omnivorous diet, eating predominantly plants and vegetation, with only approximately 20% of their diet consisting of meat. Since they are white they stand out against the dark green forest they inhabit. The Kermode bear (Ursus americanus kermodei) is also known as the spirit bear or ghost bear because of its rarity and because a small percentage of them have white coats. Litters are usually of two cubs but single cubs and triplets have been recorded. The latter is called a Kermode bear. Their range includes Prince Royal Island, Princess Royal, Pooley, Gribbell and Prince Rupert Island. The species Ursus kermodei was named in 1905 in honor of Francis Kermode, a zoologist who conducted the first studies into the origins of these bears. Importantly, this is not because of albinism, nor are they a hybrid of black bear and polar bear. see all. Buy It Now +C $1.96 shipping. These primeval forests are the only habitat of the Kermode, or "spirit bear". Kermode Bears are not albinos, their cream coloured fur is caused by a genetic variation in melanin production. The Kermode bear, also known as the spirit bear, is a subspecies of American black bear found exclusively in Canada. The adaptive significances of these coat colour variations are speculative, but some, including the Ker-mode condition, probably affect thermoregulation. The bear is not specifically protected although some parts of its habitat are. C $ to C $ Buying Format. They are a subspecies of the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus), and scientists believe that Kermode bears evolved over the last 10,000 years from … It is the official provincial mammal of British Columbia and symbol of Terrace, British Columbia. [6], The Kermode bear was named after Frank Kermode, former director of the Royal B.C. [10] Salmon evade large, black models about twice as frequently as they evade large white models, giving white bears an advantage in salmon hunting. [16] The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline was rejected by the federal government in 2016. A single nucleotide polymorphism at the melanocortin 1 receptor gene (mc1r) locus is the cause of this recessive w variant. “Kermode” bear, a color phase of the black bear reach frequencies of 10%–20% on some islands but are (Ursus americanusPallus) found in the rainforestsinfrequentlyobservedontheadjacentmainland,andtheir along the north coast of British Columbia. The blue ones are glacier bears, or Ursus americanus emmonsii, and were first identified in 1895. [18] Until November 26, 2016, the greatest pipeline threat to the Great Bear Rainforest had been the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines, but Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shut the project down after the First Nations took the Canadian government to court and won. Top Rated Seller Top Rated Seller. Revered by the native Kitasoo and Tsimshian people, whose legends regard it as a reminder of the ice age, it was initially considered a separate species. They are named after Frank Kermode, a Royal B.C. Scientific Classification Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Carnivora Family Ursidae Genus Ursus Species U. americanus Scientific Name Ursus americanus kermodei Quick Information … Instead, Kermode bears have a special gene unique to the subspecies. The Spirit (or Kermode) bear is a white‐phased black bear found on the northwest coast of British Columbia, and is one of the most striking color polymorphisms found in mammals. The Kermode bear is a subspecies of the black bear that lives in British Columbia. Kitasoo Spirit Bear Conservancy – BC Parks website. It can be estimated that approximately 8,000-10,000 black bears live within the Kermode range, which is about 64,000 km2 or twice the size of Vancouver Island. Keeping the Spirit Bear Coast Clear of Tar Sands Oil (2016). Museum,[1] who researched the subspecies and was a colleague of William Hornaday, the zoologist who described it. [20] Grizzly bears also pose a threat to Kermode bear populations because of the decline of natural resources, especially salmon populations that are becoming subject to climate change and overfishing. draws international interest", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kermode_bear&oldid=997365109, Articles containing Tsimshian-language text, Articles containing potentially dated statements from July 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 31 December 2020, at 04:19. Intake of both aqueous and terrestrial environments these islands are white at three or four years of age mating! Colour variations are speculative, but some, including the Gitgaʼat have opposed the pipeline may,! Protected although some parts of its habitat are from salmon during the fall male Kermode bear or “ ”! Royal B.C w variant since they are named after Frank Kermode, Royal... 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